


King or a Street Sweeper

by Viwiel



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Buffy as Death's granddaughter, Gen, clandestine meeting scene, kind of Discworld fusion in that sense, post-season 7 BtVS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 00:06:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22226764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viwiel/pseuds/Viwiel
Summary: Buffy gets an unexpected offer from a distant relative.
Relationships: Buffy Summers & Death (Supernatural)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	King or a Street Sweeper

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: After season 7 for BtVS, and as for Supernatural? Probably somewhere between seasons 5 and 10? Undecided.
> 
> Background: Based on a fusion idea of Discworld’s Death and Supernatural’s. Namely, Buffy playing Death’s granddaughter (several times over). Stand-alone until further notice.

_"You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everybody dances with the grim reaper."  
_– The last words of _Robert Alton Harris_ , a criminal and a murderer.

* * *

The shadows inched closer and closer to the place where a lonely figure was standing under a tall willow tree in a small park that had a matching insignificant pond in it. It was late and the children you usually could find there playing around the small body of water were nowhere in sight. Only one of the three street lights was working, casting faint yellow light in a circle that didn’t expand long. A couple of water birds were quietly swimming here and there causing ripples and occasionally ducking their heads underwater, snatching some plants and gulping them down with upward swings of their long necks.

The figure, female as one could see if they looked more closely, had been standing just outside of the yellow light’s sphere for some time now. She checked her wristwatch and aggravated by what it told, exhaled and leaned her side to the tree. It was quite obvious she waiting for someone.

Some minutes had passed when she suddenly pushed away from where she had been leaning and straightened her stature along with her jacket. Another figure stepped out of the shadows and joined her.

“I thought you’d never come,” her tone was lightly reprimanding.

“I’m perfectly in time, as you well know,” the newcomer, a considerably older male, replied calmly. He was clearly taller than she was, even with the heeled boots that were lifting her to a height that was a couple inches more than what the nature had gifted her with. He was dressed in an immaculate business suit and leaning ever so lightly to a steel-headed cane.

They walked side by side the short way to the bench farther away from the light and seated down there facing the pond. He stretched out and crossed his long legs ankles and placed the cane against the edge of the seat.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, shaking her head, “it’s just that I sneaked out to come here and I’d prefer if nobody found out.”

“Ah,” there was enough light for his companion to see the knowing way his eyebrows rose. “I take it you still have not told them.”

She shook her head, “There’s no reason for them to know. It doesn’t matter now.”

“I did not say you should tell them; you just gave the impression that you would the last time we spoke about it.”

“That was a long time ago, things change,” a deficient shrug accompanied the words.

“I suppose they do,” he acknowledged, nodding his head.

“I guess things that change are the reason we are here?” she enquired, ready to change the topic away from her life as soon as possible.

“Yes. I have a proposition of sorts for you. I know you are planning to leave, go on your own,” his eyes narrowed as he studied her. Her expression confirmed what he had said. He didn’t enlighten her how he knew it and she didn’t need to ask. “I’d like you to come with me.”

Faint surprise graced her face; she had not expected him to say that, “Why?”

“I believe everyone should know where they come from, it’s time for you finally learn to know your roots.”

Her expression told him she had heard what he had said, as if there was any doubt, but she didn’t say anything. He could see she was considering what he had said. She tilted her head upwards, looking at the dark cloudless sky that stars were lighting up brightly enough to be seen even here with the town nearby.

“Has it always looked like that?”

He mimicked her actions and tilted his head to look at the sky, “No,” he shook his head, “not always. It changes with time like everything else.”

She gave a small hum, turning her head to see more of the bluish black canvas, littered with small specks of brilliant light, “It’s beautiful.”

“One of many beautiful things in this world,” he agreed mildly.

“You still see the beauty?” she looked back to him from the sky.

“In everything,” a hint of smile lifted the corners of his mouth and his eyes seemed imperceptibly softer.

“I have a hard time seeing it,” she confessed quietly, “so many bad things have happened – still happen.”

“You just haven’t had the time to look around,” he told her, carrying along the suggestion that she could fix that.

“I have time now,” she mused aloud, “there’s so many of them.”

“That’s why I asked you to meet me, why I made the offer.”

“When?” she had come to a decision. She had planned to leave anyway.

“Whenever you wish,” he answered, after all he had all the time in the world; he was in no hurry.

She pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment. “Tomorrow evening. I’ll be able get what I need and say goodbye.” There was no need to prolong it any more, she had stayed way past her due.

“Very well, I’ll come to get you then,” he promised and got up as she took her leave.

He stayed after and watched after her as she went striding quietly out of the park and along the quiet street. She was a creature of the night and the shadows seemed to stretch their arms towards her, at times encompassing her completely in their embrace.

He thought about the times to come. She was so broken, he wished he could fix at least some of it, give her time to heal. He regretted he hadn’t done anything in the past but knew it had not been his place, it was _His_. He could be angered with _Him_ – were he a human he certainly would, but he wasn’t a human and he understood the _whys_. Things needed to happen, no matter how some didn’t wish it otherwise.

He placed his both hands on his cane, looking down for a moment deep in his thoughts. There was a small flash as the nearby street light reflected from the steel of his cane and the silver of his ring. He looked back up and sighed, sometimes even he got tired.


End file.
